Animal Trainer
Animal training is a fun, enjoyable career for those who care and love animals. The areas of the training include security, riding, obedience, performance, and helping assist the disabled. Not only do animal trainers work with the animals, but also help an owner with the control and communicate with his/her pet. Another area they might work with is the training of rescue and police dogs or sometimes even dog competitions.
Training animals can be hard, but there are many techniques to help communicate with them. For instance, voice commands, hand signals, and rewards are key to training an animal to its best ability. Animal trainers use these actions in their everyday work life to help them become successful.
A typical day for an animal trainer can be very entertaining, but may be stressful at some times. All animals act differently and have their own personalities. Other techniques like providing positive reinforcement to animals, hands on care, and mental stimulation are all used to better an animal's behavior.
There are different educational requirements for each field in animal training. For instance, those who work with entertainment or domestic animals do not have to go through any education program. Instead they need mostly observation and hands-on experience. Some people do take courses in training or other schooling to help with their future career as an animal trainer. For those who would like to go more into the scientific side of training and not just the obedience and control, you can receive a degree in zoology, husbandry, psychology, or veterinary science. If you decide to go into training of dolphins or other sea animals, you may be required to have a degree in biology or marine biology.
These education requirements are not the only thing you need to be a successful animal trainer. You should be hard-working, dedicated, and loyal to your profession. You must have an open mind and also be very understanding for this career can be time consuming at certain occasions. When working with owners, it is best to have a very outgoing and fun personality which helps animals as well because they can sense your attitude in a very distinct way.
The salary of an animal trainer can vary greatly depending on your experience. For instance the starting salary is around $14,290 but yet you can earn up to as much as $45,032 as an experienced trainer. The average salary though, is about $22,942. Salaries also depend on your location of where you work at. Demand for this profession is expected to grow greatly over the next years through 2018.
Becoming an animal trainer is a great way to interact with animals and their owners as well. This can be a fun and entertaining career path, especially if you are a huge animal lover. All you need is a little patience and a great personality, and you have yourself some key tools to help you in your career.
Sources:
Trainer: Career Information, About.com
Trainer, Schools in the USA
Trainer Description, Career Cruising
